The Law of the Animal Welfare, or the “drop that satisfies the glass” for the sector

To finals of the past month of January jumped the news. The European Commission made public the opening of a penalizing file to our country for breaking the new norms for hens layers. A rule that from 1 January of the year in course forces to adapt the cages with new requirements to improve the welfare of these animals. In the document, the commissioner of Health, John Dalli, put in knowledge of the Spanish authorities that from the entrance in force of the new norm have to forbid the no enriched cages. Between the community requirements for said cages, specifies the obligation to expand the surface, so that each copy have at least of 750 cm², the installation of nests and devices for the cut of nails or alternative systems, for like this give fulfillment to the physiological needs and of behaviour of the birds, as they certify from Brussels.

In our country contabilizan 720 exploitations as well as a population of 43,5 million hens layers according to data of the MARM. During the past month of December, the Ministry ensured that almost 50% of the cages already were conditioned. However, good part of the Spanish production does not fulfil with the European norms by what Spain situates in the second position of a list of 13 countries incumplidores. “On the norm that atañe to the cages of hens layers there has been a very strong discussion in Brussels. On the one hand, countries like Germany, Denmark and Finland demanded in addition to the fulfillment of the rule from 1 January, that the eggs of the no conditioned exploitations did not allocate to consumption in fresco, but directly to the industrial channel. Even they asked that colorearan of red for like this separate them of the circulation. And on the other hand, those east countries, for example Poland, that went in in the EU later and after tackling a series of investments have requested a period of transition longer. It has not authorised ”, it explains, to way of context, José Luis Iranzo, responsible of Productions Graziers of the Coordinator of Organisations of Agriculturalists and Graziers (COAG).

In what atañe to our country, according to Iranzo, have not gone in in this debate. “We have not done to cost our strength. And now after the penalty, have to explain, through an allegation, reason have not fulfilled the rule. All goes to accelerate. We suppose that they will organise inspections to prevent that this farm can produce. Imagine you: if a producer treats to adapt his farm to the rule and leaves to perceive money by the eggs, do not know if it will be able to tackle the corresponding reforms”. Transform a farm, so that it fulfil with the requirements comunitarios involves a cost. This varies of an exploitation to another, but situates between the 15-20 euros by hen. In a Spanish half exploitation, of some 40.000 hens, the investment approaches to the 720.000 euros. From COAG alert of the impact of the rule, since a lot of exploitations will see forced to close to the not being able to face up to this economic load, in front of the fault of liquidity and credit. It will produce a ‘effect dominated' that will dismantle the economic and social fabric associated to these farms in the half rural. In the agricultural organisation foresee that 40% of the producing farms of eggs will cease in his activity, as a result of the Directive.

As already sucede in the exploitations avícolas of put, the ones of pork will have to adapt to the new reglamentación on welfare that, in this sector, will go in in force, on 1 January of the year 2013. In our country, the trasposición effects through the Royal decree 1135/2002, of 31 October. In what it remains of year, more than 75.000 farms of pork of white layer will have to tackle strong economic investments to adapt the exploitations of sows. “In spite of the penalizing file, by part of Brussels, by the of the cages of hens layers, what more concerns us are the repercussions of the rule in the pork sector, up to now one of the most profitable of the activity grazier”, puntualiza the spokesman of COAG.

The new reglamentación will tax a cost by animal between 250-300 euros, beside a presumable reduction of the cabin grazier, since it will have to increase in 30% the available space. José Luis Iranzo explains the reason: “In the case of the sows gestantes will disappear the cages and will install parks that will involve an extra outlay of 400 euros by mother, only if you have sufficient space in the exploitation”. And here it arises one of the main obstacles. “To keep the number of squares mother, will have to increase the surface. In some cases will be able to build new ships; but in others, this will not be possible. If the farm situates near of urban cores or in a zone where there is a big concentration, will not be able to adapt to the rule”. In definite, an exploitation with an average of 500 mothers, after the adaptation could remain with a cabin of 350 or 400, what would affect to his productivity. “If the people begins to invest to keep the cabin in the 500 mothers, of average, the cost can rondar the million of euros”. And with this go to throw the closing a lot of exploitations, basically the most dilapidated and even those regentadas by producers between 55 and 60 years, and without relief generacional.

Basically, the sector of the pork works to base of integration. That is to say, the producers contribute the farm, cover the costs and crían the lechones from the mothers that buy to a third company. Finally, the producer pacta the price that will perceive by lechón. Of not to conserve the current squares, at the end will purchase lechones from third countries and even would leave to fatten in our country. A situation that would prejudice no only to the graziers, and to the rest of the sector cárnico, but also to the cerealista. In function of this, from COAG already alert of a loss of 30% of squares mothers in Spain. “No only we would lose niches of market but it is likely that do not go back them to recover. In pork, the cycle lasts a year, since the mothers go in in the farm”.

Of the adecuación to the rule, and after contacting with the agricultural organisations, gives off a lower productivity in the pork farms. This is like this because the mothers, in period of lactancia, lodged in a species of semijaula, what facilitated the takings by part of the lechones. Now, with the new normative, and when being loose, there is lower in the number of children and less control. Besides it requires more hand of work, to be able to be specialised, to handle the sows.

Catalonia, Aragon and Murcia, the most prejudiced

With the entrance in force of the Law of the Animal Welfare in pork, some autonomous communities would result more affected that others. Basically those where gives a greater number of exploitations and ascertains more concentration in some zones. Some examples would be Catalonia, especially the province of Lleida where registers a big activity grazier, Aragon and Murcia. In Catalonia, as they aim from Joves Agricultors i Ramaders of Catalonia (JARC), 80% of the pork exploitations of average and average- big dimensions find in hands of big groups of producers, that will not have difficulties to access to the credits of offers the Departament of Agriculture of the Government of Catalonia. The thing changes when it treats of independent graziers, 20% of the average exploitations. In concrete, in the autonomous community there are 1.382 farms of sows of property. 20%, pertaining to small owners, are 276 in danger to disappear. Of which, contabilizan 50 in Gironinginga, 90 in Lleida, 13 in Tarragona and 124 in Barcelona. The cessation of the activity will comport besides a shrinking in the number of mothers that repercutirá in all the sector. It speaks already of 81.670 sows reproductoras less.

Economic repercussion of the measure

The cost estimated of the adaptation varies between 150 and 275 euros by sow, in function of the system of feeding used. For a farm of 500 mothers augura a necessary minimum investment in Catalonia of 40.500 euros, until a maximum of 74.250.

The new reglamentación also affects to the squares of bait, in places moved away of the mothers, since for the same copies would need more space. They stir two alternatives: go down the number of heads or fatten. Curious is the case of the ham of Teruel, with denomination of origin. “If we abide by us the requirements of the D.Or., the pig has to weigh more than 120 live kilos. According to the new normative, to which happens of 100 kilos, needs seven square metres by square. To conserve the same number of pigs, the graziers of the zone have to expand in 50% the available terrain”. To the predictable closing of farms, would follow him the one of slaughterhouses, zones of transformation… the economic impact would be considerable in the dependent zones of this meat sector.To

The effects of the rule would leave notice also in the transport of pork live. Spain, one of the main producers of pig, exports especially to countries like Germany and Russia. Of the first market separate him more than 4.000 kilometres and the majority of the transport of alive animals effects by road. With the Law of the Animal Welfare, each 400 kilometres, have to effect stopped so that the pigs can go down, rest, feed, etc. “A truck that go out of Lleida with destination to Frankfurt, would arrive in a week or 10 days. Now, this distance effects in two days. No only we would lose competitiveness, but also the work realizar in years, to do us with these markets”, regrets José Luis Iranzo, the one who underlines besides that the costs would shoot what would force to export more meat in channel.